Distrust, Despair, and Deception
by ToxicTreacle
Summary: I've never actually thought about this before, but you really have always been there for me... why you did this, I can't ever understand. It's like you didn't even know me. L-like I wasn't your brother... Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Maybe it was all a bad dream... Maybe it didn't happen. Maybe you'll tell me. Make me understand... understand that you're still my big brother.
1. Now or Never

_Sonic…_

_ I've never actually thought about this before, but you really have always been there for me… why you did this, I can't ever understand. All I can remember… is you, just standing there… were you Dark…? I haven't seen you like that before… didn't you have control over yourself…? But… that form… Were my eyes playing tricks on me?_

_I don't know now, and I didn't know then… really… but…_

_It's like you didn't even know me. Like you didn't recognize me. Like… like I was n-n-nothing to you. Like… L-like I wasn't y-your brother. Your pal. Your amigo… _

_Maybe it was all a bad dream… Maybe it didn't happen... Maybe you didn't try to hurt me... Maybe you… maybe you were actually trying to save me… but how on Earth would that work?_

_I… _

_I thought… for a second… it wasn't you… but those blue quills… those green eyes… for a split-second, I'd tore my own beliefs out of myself and thrown them out of the window._

_It was you… my mind is sure of it. And it has evidence… that evidence, it… it's proof…_

…_But my heart… myself… the true me… is saying it wasn't you._

…

_I don't know which one to believe in._

_I don't know anymore, Sonic. I'm sorry… but I really, _**really**_ don't._

_I don't know whose side you're on. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't know what to think of you…_

…_I… I don't know whether to forget about you, and move on… move on, leave you alone. Class you as the enemy… why would I do that? I don't want to do this…_

_Maybe I'll ask you about it when I wake up… maybe you'll tell me. Make me understand..._

_Make me understand that you're still my big brother._

***~S~***

_**Beep… Beep… Beep…**_

The sound rang a deathly time of the usual, 'get-up,' time, in the otherwise quaint room.

Miles "Tails" Prower heaved a blind hand on top of the annoyance, groggily yawning as he lifted his head. Whatever sleep could have been gained was already lost, hence the black bags beneath his azure eyes, on his furry, but rather messy, muzzle.

"Five more minutes…" the boy awkwardly mumbled to the clock, burying his face deeply into the plump pillow and muffling his speech.

_**Beep… Beep… Beep…**_

A groan escaped his mouth, as the fox numbly, but reluctantly pulled himself up, shortly flashing a look to the alarm clock thereafter.

He figured the mini time teller was merely being stubborn, like most days, thus, he hefted a finger to the snooze button.

Something was amiss.

_**Beep… Beep… Beep…**_

It still made that excruciating, irritable sound that ceased to so much as decrease its alarm rate.

"Hey."

With his head throbbing and painfully twanging, bright, cobalt orbs sifted through the daylight.

And, at that moment, everything changed.

His gaze was obstructed by a silhouette, which was thickly broadened by the thick, brightening sunrise, the background almost blinding him.

Those innocent, blue eyes squinted at the familiar shadow.

"Knuckles, what're you doing in my room?"

Said red creature stepped out of the blinding limelight, and stepped next to the fox's bed, grinning eagerly, his fists poised.

"I've been doing a little stalking, lately… so…" He took a step forward, his red, green and yellow shoes clanking on the floor.

Odd. Tails couldn't remember his floor being like that…

But still focusing with his naivety on his friend, Miles slunk back, pressing the back of his head against his immobile, fluffy pillow.

The crimson mammal took a step back, chuckling. "'Am kidding, Tails!"

In reply, the other stiffened, and then relaxed a bit.

Knuckles planted his behind on, what looked to be, to Tails, a rather sturdy, padded chair. He breathed in, placing latched elbows around the rear of his dreadlocks to add more comfort.

"You know, you took a pretty rough fall there."

Blur filled the fox's vision, as he tried to make out every single item around him.

Not an alarm clock; a heart monitor.

Not his soft, cream carpet; a cold, marble floor.

Not a large, paned window; a small square.

Not his inventions; chemistry stuff, and a tray with a bowl of porridge.

…

That was it. He was in a hospital.

Wait… hospital?

"For a second, we thought you weren't gonna' make it," the echidna started. "But then, you sure showed Hell a thing or two, right, kid?" Eyes closed as the teen smiled.

A meek grin was his reply, then a confused frown. "Knuckles… What happened?"

The red dude frowned a little, sheepishly. "You mean you don't remember?"

A silence.

"Well… You kinda crashed int—"

A sharp gust of wind cut him off.

"Gah! Can't I even finish a sentence without being interrupted, Sonic?"

The newcomer was an anthropomorphic, blue creature, possessing spiny quills, emerald eyes, and a trademark chilidog in its pearly, white, gloved hand. Red and white shoes were jogging on the spot, as if they were trying to burn off the owner's extra calories.

Tails' eyes widened in shock, seemingly holding sudden realization.

Blue boy grinned at the much-too-easily-angered echidna.

"I mean, come on! Ever had any decency to let a guy speak for once, hedgehog?"

"Man, I just did, Kn—"

"Shut it, smart alec. I don't think you've ever heard of manners, let alone know them…"

Sonic the Hedgehog rolled his eyes before stuffing his face with the last edible object, not keeping his mouth fully shut as he did so. Once he stopped jogging, his gaze shifted to the stiffened body on the bed, content, eating gob motioning into a warm smile. "Hey, buddy! How're you doing?"

Tails remained as frozen and silent as an ice statue, yet lifted his head to meet the mammal's view. His body was rigid as his hands shook; they were tightly gripping the clean bed sheets out of sheer fright.

"Bit of a bump on your head there," the fastest thing alive stated, still chewing his food, and gesturing towards the neat bandage around Miles' head, "but it'll take more than that to bring my lil' bro down. Am I right, Tails?"

When he took a step closer, the fox repeated slinking back into the cushion.

The world's savior frowned, swallowing the last of his food. "'Sup, buddy?"

The heart monitor steadily increased its rate, showing the kitsune's tiny heart was going a mile a minute.

The gullible one of the three watched, no longer mumbling rants that his rival never listened to.

A small, accusing, yet trembling, finger pointed at Sonic, who merely stood there in bafflement. "You…"

_**Beep. Beep. Beep.**_

Sonic gave a side-glance to the machine. 'Is… is that thing getting faster, or what?'

"You…" It seemed like Tails was trying to say words, but they got caught in his throat, thus, Sonic only heard a wavering whisper, (which was odd, since he was no threat nor was he threatening to the young one, and he wouldn't pose as one purposely, anyway,).

"Tails?" Sonic tilted his head, trying to seem as confused as possible to show his misunderstanding. "Tails, buddy, if ya' got a problem, just spit it out."

He saw his adopted brother try to sit up, and the way he did it… well, Sonic felt like giving him a hand, but had he done so, he would've received a threatening push away. All he did was watch his bro with a perplexed expression. After Tails nearly fell back, Sonic felt he should've done something, thus, he offered a hand, only to have his kind gesture turned down by a concentrated stare.

"Sonic…" The two-tailed individual gave a small, suspicious glance to the hedgehog, brow lowered in concentration.

The blue hero was likewise, though, instead holding concerned eye ridges.

Whatever was on Tails' mind, was seriously bugging him.

_**Beep! Beep! Beep!**_

"That's me, bud," the blue blur replied, smiling a little to lighten the mood, and trying his best to ignore the heart monitor, else bring out more worry. "Now… tell me what's up."

"I… I… need to know something."

"Yeah?"

"Y-yeah… I remember something now… about why I'm here, but I need to know… Where were you…? The other day? The day when the Tornado crashed?"

The hedgehog paled a bit. "That day?"

"Yes…" the fox confirmed. "Where were you?"

"Uh… Well, Tails, I was with you…"

"Were you…? When?"

"When… the plane crashed."

"Sonic…" The kid seemed thoughtful for a moment, before giving a small whimper, "I can't believe… You… you did it."

"Tails… I… I…" The hedgehog gave a hurt expression, seeming guilty of bringing up the child's sudden whines. "I… did what?"

_**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_

"You… YOU DID IT!" the fox raised his voice, then lowered it towards the guardian's direction. "He… he did it, Knuckles..."

The Master Emerald's protector gave an awkward frown, unable to find anything to say; what should he say? 'I believe you'? 'I'm sorry to hear that'? 'You're completely bonkers'?

"Huh?" Sonic blinked, blatantly presenting that he had no idea what the brainiac was on about. "No, seriously, I mean… I did what?"

"I don't know why… But…" The fox swallowed. "You… you brought down the Tornado."

"What the…?" The line on the other's muzzle folded into a confused one. "I'd… I'd never do that to ya'… I know what I didn't do and what I did… And, I wouldn't hurt you… Don't forget, the Tornado's my baby, too! Why would I want to destroy you, and that, too? I have no idea what you're on about, little buddy, but you're seeming completely off your head…"

"Sonic... You were there… Don't play dumb. If you were there, you must've known what happened…" Miles mumbled, certainty and accusation filling his voice as his head tilted.

"What ARE you talkin' about, bro?" Sonic questioned, rubbing his ear awkwardly. "Tails… You're not making any sense, here, pal…"

"You're obviously no pal of mine, Sonic… Not after what you did…"

Knuckles became sympathetic, and finally decided to speak up, questioning the child's speeches, "You okay, Tails?"

Mr. Prower ignored him, continued glaring at the blue blur. "Tell him, Sonic," spoke the limp figure, treating the word, 'Sonic,' like it was trash in his mouth. "T-tell him what you did…"

The cynical expression was his answer, as his friend took a step forward. "I don't get what you're on about—!"

_**SMASH!**_

Shocked, Sonic witnessed the vase, once filled with flowers of hope, smashed to pieces on the floor before him.

His mouth was slightly agape, as he hadn't seen Tails do such a violent act against him before. "What the…? Tails?"

"STAY BACK!" the two-tailed fox ordered, backing away further, with his knees up.

"Now, look here; I didn't—!"

"**SHUT UP!"**

The pair held reluctance and a cringing sense as their gaze averted; they looked towards their shouting companion, eyes blinking at the echidna as he eyed them a moment.

Said guardian stood between them, eyes narrowing, and fists spread out. "Will you two quit it?"

"But, Knux—"

"Just shut it."

Finally, the faster creature retreated a step, sensibly yet hesitantly, glancing worriedly at his adopted brother for a second.

The Prower was glaring at him, with so much malice, that Sonic didn't want to look anymore, and as soon as the hedgehog looked away, his brother's expression shifted into that of worry, like…

Like Tails didn't know himself anymore.

'Tails… what's wrong with ya'?' Sonic asked himself, knitting his brow with unease.

Knuckles flashed looks between them, unable to decipher what was actually going on. "What the HELL is wrong with you guys?"

***~S~***

**Tails may seem slightly more violent and OOC than usual, but this will be explained in a later chapter… If you know what head trauma can do to you… well, you know.**

**I know I've got like a crapton of other stories to finish, (MUST. GET. THEM. DONE. FIRST!) but this one is practically looking at me with puppy-dog eyes… you know what I mean. ¬.¬' And I've got Writer's Block right now for 'em… Urgh. Wish it would bug off and leave me alone.**

**Anyways… review if you wish. It would really help. =P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story. All characters go to their respective owners.**


	2. Let It Die

_Okay… where to start…_

_What can I say? I blew it._

_I didn't let you finish. I didn't let you explain. I didn't let us have a happy ending, bro and bro… I don't know what made me do it. I don't know why I shouted at you._

_I went berserk. Nuts. Bonkers._

_Jeez, I threw a flipping vase at you! …I'm just glad it didn't hit you._

_I jumped to conclusions, Sonic… That's not like me, and I know it… but another thing I do know… I feel like that conclusion… it's really true. Too true to life._

_That little feeling in my heart… I felt it when I snapped at you._

_I felt like… like I was making the biggest mistake in my life, but my mind is telling me differently… see?_

…_I think even Knuckles is confused… the way he looked at us… that's proof enough that something's going wrong between us. Something that wasn't there before._

_I can barely remember it now… it's fuzzy… that horrible event. How you were there… during that attack… and… and you shot towards me… so fast I didn't realize what was going on._

_Speed._

_Blue._

_Quills._

_Green eyes._

_That's how I knew it was you, Sonic… but it was the way you acted after that what told me… this whole guessing ordeal wasn't right! …But… what other evidence is there that my idea is wrong? Logic is saying my other theory is certainly wrong… I… I don't get it._

_I don't get what happened. I don't get why I'm acting this way. I don't get why you're like an enemy to me._

…_There's… there's this anger… inside of me. Not blatant, but still there… and fear…_

…

_I'm scared, Sonic…_

…_But… what is it that I'm truly scared of?_

***~S~***

The hallway was dimly lit, as the sunset through the window, through its blinds. Crying from children was heard, laughing from happy families, sympathetic groans resonating… It truly couldn't be classed as quiet.

Except for the bed area in Ward 2.

The child sat alone on the bed, watching the split screen with the two bickering people behind it.

"Look, I don't know what happened in there, but you need to fix this."

"Fix this? Alright then; I'll talk to him." The silhouette moved.

Another shadow caused it to come to a halt. "Not like that, Sonic; Tails needs space."

"Are you KIDDING me? How am I s'posed to help him if I can't talk to him?"

"I don't know… but, just keep your distance… for a bit, okay? You can't just go in there and start being so up-front about it."

A scoff was audible. "I'm surprised you're giving me advice about it, Knucklehead."

"I'm serious, hedgehog. It took half an' hour to calm him down."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Captain Obvious. I was there."

"You know… it would've helped… if you'd left!"

"And leave Tails in this place? Give me a break, Knux!"

"I won't! Not until you understand that you can't be the big, reassuring hero all the time!"

"Says you, LEGO-boy!"

"Lego boy?" There was a growl, and fists suddenly shot up, bawled and ready to fight, "Oh, man, Sonic… I think we need to take this little conversation outside!"

"Correction, Knuckles: we're already outside of Tails' cubicle!"

"That's not what I mean—!"

"…Knuckles?" came the small, childish voice.

The red creature let his fists fall, and glared at the blue hero with irritation, before speaking to the innocent in a deadpanned voice, "It's okay, Tails."

"Yeah. It's just fine," Sonic added, regarding his rival with an annoyed expression.

Knuckles' tone came to a whisper, "You should grow up."

"Me? Heh, aren't you forgetting someone, Knux?"

A growl burrowed its way out of the red one's mouth. "Stuff this. Let's set our quarrels aside… for Tails' sake."

A silence fell.

"…Alright. I'll keep my distance."

"You're actually listening to me?"

"Why the big shock?" Sonic asked, his small smile returning. "Besides… I don't wanna' rile up another friend of mine, do I?"

"Yeah… If only you hadn't fifteen seconds ago, I would've had respect for you…"

"Respect, prospect!" the hedgehog calmly said, giving a dismissive wave of his hand. "I don't need respect to keep me going, buddy. But, if I still have some left… some of that respect's gonna' be sacrificed for Tails."

Knuckles furrowed his brow, knowing full well his rival was up to something. "Sonic… Whatever you're going to do… don't mess things up even more."

"Oh, don't worry. I won't!" the blue blur answered, with his cocky grin in place.

The great gem's guardian gave a skeptical look to his rival, before shaking his head and crossing his arms.

Once the hedgehog saw the echidna turn to enter the cubicle once more, he twisted around, clenching a fist while narrowing his eyes, smile turning into a deadly frown. "If Eggman's got _anything_ to do with this… I swear…"

The threat was unheard, as all that was left of the fastest thing alive, was a gust of wind.

…

The fox breathed a sigh of relief when the echidna entered.

Somehow, something told him that being around Sonic was a bad idea… or was it?

"…So, er… you doing okay, Tails?" asked the red one, somewhat awkward within the silence.

"Knuckles…" the fox trailed, his head tilting worriedly. "I-is… I-is he gone?"

"Uh…" Knucklehead's trademark shoes shuffled as he glanced behind him, seeing no dark shadow behind the material. "…Yeah."

Tails gave a small smile, seeming thankful for that answer. "Good…"

The anthropomorphic, hot-headed creature flexed his muscles, before taking his place on the same seat he sat on earlier, his hands clenching into fists on his lap. "Listen, I know you're under some kinda pressure, Tails, but… er…"

Tails cocked his head, innocent eyes staring into Knuckles' soul. "What?"

"…Are you SURE you're not jumping the gun about Sonic a little bit too fast?"

A silence followed, and then Miles' brow furrowed inquisitively. "Are… are you… Are you saying… you don't b-believe me?"

Realization spread across Knuckles' face like wildfire. "No! It's... it's not that… It's just… Look, listen to me, alright? Sonic wouldn't do _anything _to hurt you, Tails! It's not like him."

"Yeah?" Tails asked, folding his arms and pouting. "How would you know, Knuckles? How would you know that's the real Sonic?"

The echidna spoke random words, jabbering for a second before he finally cleared his stuttering, "B-because I've seen him!"

A revelation came to the two-tailed fox, but he refused to say of it. "I know what I saw. I saw Sonic there."

"Just because you saw him there doesn't mean he did it!" the older mammal declared, before stating with a grim frown. "You're meant to be the smart one, Tails. Even you should know what Sonic's capable of doing and what he isn't! He does loadsa' stuff… but hurting his little brother IS NOT one of 'em!"

"Well… well…!" the kid's voice trembled for a second, as he tried to find a counter. "Logic's saying otherwise because of what I saw! I wanna' believe you, Knuckles, but my head's telling me not to trust him!"

"Your head, huh?" Knuckles asked, tilting his head and eyeing the youngster suspiciously. "Tails, you better not have visited the ol' Doctor without us knowing."

"Eggman's got nothing to do with it!"

"Right…" the echidna dragged, irritation in his voice as he placed his hands on hips. "And Rouge hates emeralds!"

"In alternate universe, maybe," the brainiac countered, smiling.

"We ain't seen any alternate universe like that… yet… so I doubt there is! The possibility of that bat girl hating gems is impossible!" he declared, arms thrown upwards out of exasperation; one could bet that he was getting sick of the thief trying to get her gloves on his giant gem. Ignoring that, he stared seriously at his companion once more, "You've got to tell me the truth! If that guy's so much as MESSED with your head… well, leave that to your imagination."

"… You'll batter him?"

"Hell yeah."

"Alright… but this might disappoint you anyway…" Tails breathed in, before adding, "Okay… he PARTLY has something to do with it… but that's minor at this point!"

"Anything minorly evil deserves a beating," Knuckles said with cracking knuckles and a smirk.

"Knuckles. Please."

"Oh, why not?"

"There's no point punishing him for something he isn't responsible for."

"Tails… This is Robotnik we're talking about."

"I know! But like I said, his involvement is very minor!"

Knuckles narrowed his eyes.

He obviously didn't believe this bull.

"We've strayed too far away from one thing," the echidna shook his head, rubbing his temples. "Sonic was rambling about how he didn't want to leave you in here, you know. You know what he thinks hospitals signify... You heard 'im outside, didn't ya'?"

The kid's head drooped in defeat, but then coincidentally rose, colliding with the guardian's stern gaze. "But that reason doesn't tell me he didn't attack me like that!"

An annoyed vein popped faintly over the red one's head, as he took out the frustration on his hands, clenching them harder, to keep his patience. "Tails," he spoke through gritted teeth, "Do you remember when we said we'd look out for you?

"Yeah…?"

"Do you remember what Sonic said? What he promised you?"

A silence enveloped the room, and the kitsune looked at the ceiling for a moment, in thought, before he once again met purple eyes.

"… He said he'd never let me down, like you never would with the Master Emerald."

"Heh…" Seeming smug he was getting somewhere, Knuckles chuckled. "Exactly that… Now, Tails. Think again. Again. Again. Again—"

The eight-year-old deadpanned, "I get the point."

"Urgh. Stuff that… Just think, Tails! Sonic wouldn't do that to you!"

"Maybe he didn't. Maybe he did… but… I KNOW it was him, Knuckles! The blue quills… the green eyes!"

The Master Emerald's protector watched him expectantly, waiting for any other evidence that would also point to Sonic.

"…And?"

"He was fast… and does he have an alibi?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't stalk people 24/7."

"So… for now…" Miles seemed hesitant. "I… I gotta' assume it's Sonic…"

"But it could've been Shadow painted blue."

"And his eyes?"

"Could've been wearing contacts."

"His quills?"

"Flicked them down."

"… Shadow wouldn't be very happy with you accusing him of stuff."

"Yeah, well I'm not very happy about his emo tendencies when he's on Angel Island, either."

"…"

"Okay, Tails… Now, you know that guy outside?"

"The doctor?"

"What? … No, no, no, Tails! The one outside who's worried sick about cha'!"

Nothing filled the air; Tails frowned, guilt dawning in his eyes.

"Well, let me tell you about that guy…" The echidna spoke the next few words with compassion, "He's one dedicated brother."

Tails' ears twitched, and he inaudibly wondered of outcomes of the future.

"Will ya' give him a chance, buddy?"

The depressing, soundless room pressed on, forcing the matter into Tails' brain, no matter how much he tried to push it out.

The echidna closed his eyes, then opened one with hope as he leaned on his elbows which were now situated behind his dreadlocks.

The clock ticked irritably in the silence, as the red-furred creature enlightened his stare with worry.

"Tails… he's practically your brother…" Knuckles began, "You don't really wanna' avoid him for the rest of your life, and what-not, do ya'?"

"…"

Tails sighed.

"I'll… I'll think about it, Knuckles."

***~S~***

**Quick update… should be able to do another one of those soon.**

**Now, this may seem totally Tails and Knuckles based right now, (He's in the character filter too,) but we will be seeing a lot more of Sonic soon, (My four, already-hand-written chapters are telling me that, anyway…) then I'll be able to get down some brotherly fluff. =) And the plot… Oh, the plot! I can't wait.**

**Now, about the beginning… at the start, there will be characters' thoughts on the last chapter. It's quite clear Tails is getting all of the insight lately, but the others will get it too.**

**Oh, and thanks for the reviews, guys. (: It really does help.**

**And, to end this author's note…**

**Things aren't always what they seem.**


	3. Scream

_Honestly, I don't get that kid…_

_One second he's all best buddies with Sonic, the next… he's throwing vases at him._

_I mean, in some prospects, it could've been hilarious, but…_

_Tails actually tried to hurt Sonic. And that… well, I'd never thought I'd be around to ever see that happen. I mean, yeah, I'm not around much, since I have to keep guard near the Master Emerald so some __**thief **__won't steal it… but even I know that Tails wouldn't ever do anything to hurt his brother, nor the other way 'round._

_I've seen worse, mind you, but this…_

_Tails is really just a kid… and he could've knocked Sonic out with that porcelain stuff…_

_If anyone asks why there's a small amount of a shattered vase still around, __**please**_ _tell them the next bed over did it… If they don't believe you… well, come tell me. Heh._

…

_Tails… That kid has been through a lot. A lot more than an average child, I'll tell ya' that… but…_

_There's… something different about him now... off… I mean, apart from the whole, 'Sonic tried to hurt me,' crap. I don't believe that. Sonic isn't the kind to beat his own brother; he'd go to Hell before he even thought about doing that._

_So, in a way… I… I do have faith in Sonic. Despite our arguments, and him deliberately invading my island, I still have faith in him that he didn't do it. Still believe that the reckless idiot isn't that whacked out to attack his poor brother._

_But anyway… Tails' behavior…_

_The old Tails wouldn't have accepted this… wouldn't have been so sure about his brother and what he did… No… I think the old one would pretty much be against it. Y'know, deny it ever happened? That's what I think, anyway…_

_But what I think normally doesn't matter… cos I'm apparently the gullible idiot._

_I don't think I was that, today… Maybe I did some good for the little guy… Maybe I didn't, but—Tails needs someone right now._

_Sonic can't be here… he sends the boy into freakin' hysterics... I mean it. Remember when I asked what the hell was going on? Tails wouldn't stop telling him to get away… to leave him alone… to tell him to get lost… jeez, he even asked me to punch him outta' here! …Er, it sounds like I made up that last one… but, really, I didn't. Honest._

_Even though Tails said he'd think about it… well… I think I'm finding it hard to believe. He's still feeling so sorry for himself, maybe even for having trust in his brother… and then stabbed in the back, apparently._

_Being honest, I don't know what to do. I have to be the only member of Team Sonic, (title-hogging hedgehog…) that isn't warring with the others right now. Sure, I shouted plenty at Tails, and Sonic too… and no matter how many times I wanted to kill that blue rat for pestering the hell outta' me… I didn't start a full-fledged physical war. Well, at least not now… Back a few years ago I would've done it without caring, because then… he was just a trespasser 'after' the Master Emerald, as was his trailing little sidekick…_

_Sidekick… _

…_Sonic and I… I'd think he wouldn't class Tails as that now. They've come so far…_

…_So far… that it might come to an end._

***~S~***

**CRASH!**

"The storm's getting rough! We're losing altitude!"

**CRASH!**

"Oh, no! Hold on, Cheese!"

"Chao, chao!"

**CRASH!**

"We've got to get to safety… I don't think Tornado can take much more of this!"

A plane thrashed under the treacherous storm, rocking its wings and causing it to hyperventilate. Two mammals aboard screamed with so much of a high pitch, that it began to drill and ring through the poor pilot's ears. The fluffy patch of hair upon his head rustled in the wind, bouncing in front of his blue orbs.

**CRASH!**

"TAILS! Get us down!"

**CRASH! FLASH!**

"I'm trying!"

"Well, TRY HARDER!"

The sea heaved itself higher, causing stricken panic to fall into the navigator's mind. The steering throttled violently, making it impossible to completely drive the machine clear and straight.

Then, the brilliant light of the sun ceased its course onto the lush grass beyond the watery depths, leaving the boy to trust in his own eyes.

The infant in the seat behind cuddled her chao to death, fearing for their lives, while a peeved off and worry-stricken Amy Rose was throwing riots in the farthermost seat.

**CRASH! FLASH! CRASH!**

Abruptly, tropical vegetation stretched out in front of the group, basking hearts with a long forgotten hope.

"LAND!" the kid exclaimed, his eyes practically beaming with determination.

"Please hurry, Mr. Tails!" came the quick, high-pitched squeak of the rabbit.

"On it! Hold on!"

**PING-POINT!**

Miles gave a quick glance to his right, seeing the rotors, solely attached to the wing, slowing down, much to his urgency. Sparks flew out of it, showing physical damage had been made.

"Tails?! What's going on?! Why're we going around in CIRCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEE EESSSSSSSSSSS…?!" Amy's voice screeched.

The plane twirled, hurtling towards the seething sea, which was forever waiting on its disastrous peril. It turned, twisted, zig-zagged, and curled indefinitely, making its passenger feel a very bad case of nausea. And the lightning didn't fade, either.

**FLASH! BANG! RUMBLE! BANG! FLASH!**

The flashing hurt Tails' eyesight terribly so, as his recently upgraded Tornado continued to head towards the deep liquid of death, to plunge into its never-ending darkness.

Soon, that ocean would maim the foursome… of their breathing ability.

As Tails braced himself for the fall, he glanced behind him, seeing Cream clutching Cheese in a bear hug. Then at Amy, seeing her hammer aiming to smash something…

So like Amy… but Cream was the one Tails was eyeing.

…What would Vanilla say? He promised to look after her, despite Amy being older… The infant's mother had entrusted him with the rabbit's life, and now… by not trying… not at all… Tails was throwing it away.

Cream was younger than him; six years old, give or take. She hadn't lived her life. Not yet. And here was Tails, two years older, not concerned of his own being.

A determined glint shone in his eyes, and he jerked his muzzle up, along with the steering, defiance to death itself building up inside.

Fate had other plans, however, and the spiraling piece of metal kept restrain in mind, its steering locked at the last, critical moment.

Tails could only widen his eyes in surprise, shocked revelation filling his mind, and spreading around his body.

"The propellers might be shot…" he mumbled, frowning at the situation. "… But… but maybe I can get a replacement…"

He stared at himself for a moment, then upwards at the sky, hesitant. Lightning and thunder… he didn't want to be on the receding end on any of them.

He took off his seat belt, preparing to jump into the storm…

"Tails, what're you doing?" Amy asked, her voice noticeably broken from previous yelling, "NOBODY'S DRIVING!"

The two-tailed fox grinned, letting his tuft of hair above his head to rustle wildly, and then his look dissolved back into that of sternness. "Cream, grab the wheel!"

"Are you crazy?! Cream can't…!"

"Oh, she can, alright!" He ground his feet on the plane's red wings, gripping the plane tightly to avoid falling into an endless abyss. "Besides, you're still right at the back, Amy! We waste less time by doing it this way!"

"But, Tails! Cream can't—!"

"I just said, didn't I? I taught her! She can! She's got to! Otherwise, we're all doomed!" he stared at the said rabbit, who was frozen in her seat. "Cream… I need you to pilot the Tornado, okay?"

"B-but…"

"Listen, Cream… you gotta'! I know it's scary… but it will be less scary when it's over with! Amy can't do it; she'll smash the thing!"

"Tails…"

"Just be brave and carefully climb into the front…"

She still remained skeptical, and Cheese whimpered on her lap.

"…Please, Cream," Tails pleaded.

Hesitance was shown, but then those bashful, brown eyes looked up at him, and then the owner nodded with grave understanding.

"Okay, Tails-san."

Amy gawped incredulously. "Are you guys kidding me?!"

The fox turned his back to the seats, gaze intent on the end of the tipping wing: the rotor. He prepared, but before he could set off towards, what seemed to be, a death trap, a hand grabbed his, and the world suddenly slowed down, and he chucked his gaze to a certain mammal.

"Please, _please_ be careful, Tails, whatever you're planning to do… Promise?"

'I promise…'

A nod answered her, and he felt his cheeks blush slightly, but he hid it.

"Here goes nothing…" Tails mumbled, his frown becoming more courageous as every second passed.

**CRASH! FLASH!**

"WAH!" Tails slightly jumped, causing his grip to slither slightly, and leaving the plane to jolt effortlessly. His dangled helplessly, his hands suddenly feeling weak.

Water poured from the sky, drenching the fox's coat, and his hands were slippery.

_This storm… It's too rough…_

With an extra ounce of strength, and his spinning tails, he pulled himself back up, and then clung to the wing, not once thinking about letting go. His outstretched arms tugged at the wing, bringing himself slowly across the metal. His movement hurried ever so slightly as the sea came closer; the propeller incident was his top priority.

And, swift as a hare, he quickened his steady pace tenfold, gripped the edge, and then…

"TAILS!"

…gripped the edge, dangling under the shot propeller.

"I'm f-fine!" he called, but even he wasn't sure of that statement.

With his legs and arms wrapped securely round the outer rim, and his back to the ea, he began to spin his two, magnificent tails, which rapidly sped up. They spun and spun, their life never dying, lest they wished for their owner to lose total faith.

Tails turned his head, intently looking at the ocean. As seconds went by, the ocean got closer, and closer, and closer…

…

He squeezed his eyes shut.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't—!"

**CRASH! BANG!**

He felt his energy depleting.

He felt all hope draining from his body.

He felt as if… the end was nearing.

He felt as if he should just… give up.

Yeah… maybe he should—

"**Tails, please, don't stop!"** squealed that same high-pitched voice. "We're nearly there!"

"… HUH?!" His eyes had only needed those few words to completely open. And, when they did, bafflement overtook him, as he saw the dangerous swimming pool drifting away from view.

_I… I… I d-did it! We're… we're rising!_

"…Whoa. Look! The sun! I see it, guys!" Amy's voice shouted with happiness, as she shook off the water from her short quills, wringing them out.

"Chao, chao!"

"Yes, Cheese! We're almost there!" Cream turned to smile warmly at Tails, only to frown when she did.

The fox turned his head, seeing a pillar in the centre of his gaze. Its metal structure made it seem new, yet, it looks as if it'd always been there. Tails, however, knew it wasn't there before.

A figure was stood at its peak, knuckles cracking, and that blue colour…

'Wait, that's—!'

Tails didn't even have chance to finish his own thought.

The blue creature had curled up, its sharp quills rotating so much, it made it harder for even Cheese to follow an original area of it.

"TAI—!"

**BOOM!**

Cream watched as the side of the air craft was in contact with a huge, blue spinner, making it shudder violently. The force got to a point where it was so much, that it sent the whole thing flying backwards onto the land behind.

**SCCCCCREEEECCCHHHHH!**

"CREAM!"

"AMY! CHEESE…! Tails-san… Urgh… Help…"

***~S~***

On the patch of green, lush grass, laid wreckage. Smoke. Fire. All these were present, and beneath the rubble, spluttered a young child.

"Urgh…" the fox moaned as he lifted his head; his back ached like Hell, and his headache wasn't getting any better.

Debris was pulled away, and a gloved hand reached up to rub his head, as pain erupted through it.

Then, he felt it.

Something slippery.

Something… thick.

With flickering eyelids, he glanced at his palm, and his mouth was suddenly agape.

Something… red.

**Thud… thud… thud…**

Those small noises reverberated, showing that someone was stepping across the damp grass in front of him.

"Huh?"

Lifting his head higher slowly, his gaze unblurred as he spotted something, or someone, in front of him.

Someone growling.

He squinted.

Blue quills…

Red shoes…

Green eyes…

"… …S-S-Sonic…?"

The figure's eyes glittered, and he took a step forward, grabbing the fox by his collar.

Those terrified blue orbs eyed him incredulously, suddenly holding panic as he felt the grip tighten. "What are you…?!"

Hands brought Tails up to the light, and the silhouette seemed to be inspecting him, before bringing him down, close to his face.

"Goodnight, little buddy…" his hateful voice snarled.

"S-S-SONI—?!"

**TWHACK!**

***~S~***

Miles woke up with beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, frantically panting as the nightmare ended. He looked around, orbs ablaze with fear.

…

Silence.

No… there was no plane wreck here.

No storm.

No… Cream?

For a moment, he was puzzled, before he quickly remembered reality.

"…Knuckles?"

The echidna was right in the middle of a nap when Tails had called him, so, he, being such a light sleeper due to guarding the Master Emerald, pretty much toppled backwards, causing the chair to do the same. "WAHHHH!"

Tails grinned lightly, sniggering a little. "Did you enjoy your nap, Knucklehead?"

"Owwwwwwwwww…. No, I did not!" the hothead snapped, purple irises hiding behind red eyelids as he rubbed his head. Suddenly, he noticed it was Tails' presence. "Ugh… Tails, I swear, you're turning into Sonic with that attitude…"

The yellow guy's face spouted a glare. "I hope not."

Knuckles looked on, tilting his head, and pulling himself up, slightly confused. "Hey, I thought we talked about this, yesterday, Tails. What's up with you?"

"…Knuckles."

"Tails."

"Knuckles."

"Tails."

"…Okay, seriously, cut that out."

"Hey, hey! You started it."

A silence.

"Knuckles? I got something to ask…"

"Yeah? 'Bout what?"

"About the Tornado incident…"

"Well, I'm not one for retrieving lost memories or anything, but… fire away."

"…Where's Cream?"

The echidna paled a bit. "C-Cream?"

"Yeah, Cream. She was in the Tornado."

"Tails, I…" the guardian was hesitant.

Miles took this a bad news, "Tell me what happened!"

"Look, Tails, I'm…"

"Please! It's important."

Knuckles' head drooped. "Tails… I hate to tell you this, kid, but…"

"What?" The fox questioned.

"Cream's… Cream's in a… well…" he swallowed.

"Spit it out!"

"**Cream's… in a coma."**

***~S~***

**Another quick update… Three chapters in three days in a row… I'm proud of myself. =D**

**Also, Tails with san on the end: Tails-san, is some Japanese. San after a name normally means Mr. So, anything Cream says like that… well, it's basically another word for Mr. Tails. :3**

**Oh, and has anyone realized anything about the chapter names?**

**Anyways…**

**Glad everyone's enjoying it this far. (: I may improve things in this chapter a bit, (I always do when I type up things from paper…) so don't be too shocked about that.**

**Thanks, again, guys. ^^ Really. The feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	4. One Day Too Late

_Well, I guess I should just start from the beginning._

_You guys all saw it, right? A while ago? When Tails went nuts at me?_

… _Yeah. I saw it too. And… I didn't wanna' believe that was my little brother… stuck in hospital, injured, and refusing to see me._

_When he yelled at me… almost threw a vase at me… (which missed, of course,) I didn't know what to do. Hell, the least I could do was offer a look of apology for whatever I did. _

…_What I did…_

_I don't get it. I don't get why Tails was being like that, blaming me, all out of the blue… I mean, he's my best buddy… why the heck would I do that to him? Of all people?_

…

_Man, whatever I did, I screwed up… To make Tails act like that… I must've done something really bad._

_Problem is…_

_What the heck did I do?_

_I know I had stuff to do before that even happened…_

_I've got no idea what he means by bringing down the Tornado… I mean, I was there a while later… at least, I woke up there… y'know, just to help my brother out… Found barely struggling for life… Then, everything went dark after that… I'm not quite sure what happened._

_I feel like there's a puzzle piece missing… I can't, for the bloody life in me, figure it out. I can't figure out how the little guy got like this… How he got so violent… how he's so ashamed to call me a brother… _

…

_URGH! I don't get it! I don't UNDERSTAND it!_

_Urgh… I'm so… so… CONFUSED! I don't think I've ever been this puzzled before… I don't know if I can co—_

…_No. You gotta' cope with this, Sonic. You're the fastest thing alive; some stupid act you couldn't or could have done won't freak you out…_

_Just think. Where was Tails before this? Before the plane crashed?_

…_Hummm… _

_Nope. Coming up blank. _

_Geez, why do I have to turn into Shadow at the last minute?_

…

…_!_

_That's it! Shadow!_

_A big while ago, before the Tornado crashed, (I think…) I came across one of Faker's fakers… if you get what I mean._

… _Yeah. Those Shadow android things… gave me quite a good time. Awesome party, but it kinda dragged… where did they come from?_

_Well, if I know robots, and I know the good ol' plotline of Shadow the Hedgh—er, when those alien things came, then I gotta' know that the big, fat, moustached genius behind it is… _

…_Eggman._

…

_Really? Eggman? Ugh, this is too cliché. Let's just blame him for all the bad stuff that happened lately, shall we? And if he isn't responsible, let's just assume he's going to backstab us._

…_No, wait. He already did that._

_This is literally a slap in the face for me; the Doc's always behind something… Can't he just assume I'm invincible and stop trying to murder me, already?_

_Robotnik… I think that guy lost his hinges… I haven't heard from him in a while, not since the time he decided to enslave aliens, nick planets, control my friends, make a whacky amusement park, (with awesome views; gotta' hand it to him, he's got style…) eventually leading into a cycle of actions which involved a robot arm getting stuck to his big mind-control thingy, making aliens scream and run in random directions, and then successfully creating a long chain of events of lame puns and fun that ended up with me to kicking his big, fat, egg butt as he threw a riot like a baby because he didn't win that time. As usual._

_But… if his robots hadn't been dumb enough to leave arms lying around, then maybe he could've won… and…_

_*Shudder,* …I …I wouldn't wanna' be around to face _that_**.**_

…

_Hm…_

_I'm gonna' check this out…_

…_Eggman… If you do __**have **__something to do with this… or if you __**know **__something about it… I'm going to find out. And God help you if I get my hands on you by then..._

_Nobody… I repeat: __**nobody**__, hurts my little bro and gets away with it._

***~S~***

Tails sat there, mouth agape with shock.

He almost choked within his own words. "W-what?"

Knuckles swallowed, his concern slowly building for the both of them. "I… I said, Cream's kind of in a coma, Tails…"

The fox's eyes widened to the point that it took up all the space of the upper part of his face. "H-how…?"

The echidna shook his head, eyelids closing over reality as he did so. "The plane crash… remember?"

Miles had lost logic beyond reason when he had uttered how this tragic event had occurred. Despite the fact that he knew how it had happened, he just couldn't find an exact reason for it, ignoring the head trauma he had suffered. His brain wasn't fried… yet.

Tails grimaced silently, mumbling a sentence that the other could scarcely hear. "This… t-this… this is all my f-f-fault… If I hadn't—"

The guardian interrupted before he could go any further, furrowing his angry-bent brow. "Now, hold on a second, Tails! There isn't any way that this is your fault! So, don't go blaming yourself for this mess! You tried your best."

"How do you know that? Admit it, Knux, I screwed up! And now, Cream's… now… now, Cream's paying for it!"

"So what if you screwed up? I mess up with the M.E all the time; you don't see me crying about it!"

"That's different. We're talking about people, Knuckles, not gems that could possibly help take over the world!"

A violent vein popped, and the echidna stood, fists balling, and fangs gritted. "Tikal's in that thing! If I fail, she's lost with it!"

"Not to mention that creature of destruction; how many times has the emerald shattered? Huh? Tikal's in that power source, I know, but nothing ever happened to her!"

A gruff, more threatening tone fell into the echidna's voice, "…I… I… How do you know that?! You wouldn't kno—!"

"Knuckles. Is your friend lying in the ICU right now?" Tears seemed to form in Miles' distraught eyes, but he tried to retain them.

"… … No." Knuckles' head drooped, then rose again. "But that doesn't mean you can blame yourself for this!"

"Don't act like you know exactly how I feel, Knucklehe—!"

"**SHUT UP!"**

Tails slunk back into his pillow, clutching the bed sheets ever so tightly.

A sigh was exhaled, and the crimson one gestured to Tails. "Look, kid, I'm sorry for shouting at ya'… but seriously, you can't just sit back, cursing yourself and being mopey over it, like Shadow would."

Shoulders relaxed, and the kitsune looked up. "But… what do I do about it?"

Knuckles smiled warmly.

"Go visit her, Tails."

"I'm not so sure…"

"Aw, go on… It's not like you're gonna' hurt anyone."

"Maybe… maybe I could…"

"I'm afraid that's out of the question, right now…" spoke another voice, holding a more caring yet sincere tone. "She isn't stable, yet, dear, and you still need a scan of your own to confirm whether you're okay yourself."

Both Knuckles and Tails looked up at the familiar voice.

Tails paled faintly, and Knuckles' eyes widened a tad.

"…Vanilla?"

"Hello, dears," said Mobian smiled at them warmly, only to delve into a more sorrowful tone. "I'm sure you've heard the… awful news, Tails, Knuckles…"

"Yeah, we heard. Or rather, I heard… and told Tails."

The kid's eyes were closing, almost welling with water, though he tried to hide it.

"But I'm not… here to remorse to both of you about my dear… C-Cream's accident…" she claimed calmly, hurt disguised in her tone as she seated herself on the bed.

"Huh?"

"Tails," she began. "Please do not blame yourself… for any of this."

The kitsune's head drooped.

"I know you're going through quite a rough patch, dear," she continued, "but you _mustn't _blame yourself for once being the pilot… Even the best of us fail at times." Her hazel eyes beamed a sorrowful smile, and it seemed so… so motherly.

"Vanilla," the echidna spoke up. "Have… have you heard anything?"

In the midst of the chatter, Tails sat as though he was unwelcomed, unloved or merely neglected. Those words that had been said moments ago were ringing through his head.

The eldest placed clasped hands on her lap, peering at them as they covered her violet dress. "They say the comatose may be longer than predicted…"

"Huh." Knuckles contemplated, "I thought comas weren't predictable?"

Vanilla's eyes closed in sadness, a tear threatening to form. "Indeed. One of the doctors seems to get quite a burst out of telling me that…"

Tails frowned.

"But there's nothing rather like false hope, either," the older one concluded, now smiling a bit.

"Yeah…" the red one trailed. "…Wait! One of the doctors got a kick out of making you feel terrible?"

Vanilla stood up. "It doesn't seem so certain right now… I wouldn't want to blame them if they didn't. Don't be so rash, Knuckles."

"Cos if there's a guy like that, here…" he shook a fist.

"It's fine." The female turned to Tails, as she bent lower, her curly ears shadowing her eyes. "Tails? Do you understand what we talked about, dear?"

The listener lifted his head to stare at her, seeing those deep, maroon eyes staring back.

A silence fell, and Knuckles rubbed his head awkwardly.

The fox blinked slowly, and then nodded.

"Good," she answered, and then suddenly brought out something from her back.

Miles blinked slowly as a bouquet of flowers came into view. Roses, carnations, and daisies…

Daisies were Cream's favorites… she was always picking them…

He watched her set them neatly in a now-replaced vase on the table.

"Get well soon, dear," she whispered, turning heel and setting her clasped hands on her lap as she walked out, slowly yet gracefully.

Tails grimaced; he tried not to feel guilty, but he was worried for the six-year-old… and her mother.

Knuckles could relate… though, not in the same way the Prower did.

"And, don't worry yourself over little Cream," came the voice again. Her voice shook slightly, "I'm… I'm… I'm sure she will be all right…"

Knuckles couldn't even raise a timid eye ridge. "Yeah…"

When the yellow one was sure she was gone, he turned to his friend. "Knuckles… I know I'm not supposed to be getting out and about until I get a scan, or until I get better, or without getting reassurance of some kind, first… but… I really need to see her… Y'know, just to check if she's really okay?"

The echidna dipped his head, nodding silently.

"I can't risk getting caught, though… Not in my condition, anyway… I know it's a bump to the head… but you know what the doctors and nurses around here are like…" He looked at the door, ahead from his bed. "I wonder how…"

Knuckles cut him off by shaking his index finger, (it's plausible; he has them, people,) and then pointing at himself with a smug grin.

Tails looked back to the guardian, just catching him from the corner of his eye. "… You're sure?"

"Heh. I need to work on my stealth, anyway," he rubbed his nose. "Trust me, Tails, buddy. I think that getting to see Cream will be a piece of cake."

***~S~***

It was quiet.

The moors stretched out as far as the eye could see, and a cold, operational building lied at the end of the path, walls thick with sturdy metal.

Snowflakes fell from the sky, lightly falling as if they were from Heaven itself.

One of them drifted to a bump in a hill, and it fell onto his nose.

The hedgehog paid no heed to it, as his cold gaze was stuck to the base of operations ahead. He remained silent as he looked at his balled fists, sternness in his gaze.

He wasn't messing around.

The silhouette looked up to the stars, feeling more of the white powder fall onto his face. His eyes closed, and his quills blew in the wind, and he took a step forward, bracing himself to run.

_Eggman…_

He growled in his thoughts, eyes opening and bearing mild hate.

And, within moments, he took off, leaving nothing but a trail of flames behind him in his wake.

_Nobody… I repeat: __**nobody**__, hurts my little bro and gets away with it._

***~S~***

**And… we got to see more of Sonic. =) We will be seeing more of him in later chapters. And, as you can tell, he really doesn't like being screwed around, nor does he like his brother being that, either.**

**The plot should be totally kicking in soon, and we will definitely be seeing more of our blue hero, I assure you. ^^**

**Oh, and about the chapter titles… They're titles for songs. (: **

**I'd like to thank ShinyShiny9 for telling me some of my many typos, (¬.¬) in an earlier chapter… :D**

**And, of course, thank you all for reviewing. (: I'm high on motivation and no-Writer's-Block! **


	5. Riot

_Well, I'm getting there._

_I know Knucklehead told me not to mess up things even more… but what I'm doing…_

_It's for Tails._

_If Eggman did mess with Tails, or he knows why the little guy's acting funny, then he's gonna' pay for it… and, no, not in the fine sense._

_I barely managed to find his base… he's moved it around a lot lately… but he really needs to find better places than out in the open. I mean, I run around places like that everyday; if he's trying the hide it, he's doin' a terrible job._

_Thank God it didn't rain. Snow's fine, in a way, (it IS frozen water in lateral sense…) but rain… Ugh…_

_Y'know, I haven't necessarily thought about it much, but…_

_I'm wondering whether this is all because of me. Me alone._

_I mean, I wasn't there in time to help Tails when he needed it… I failed, in a way… I messed up. But, honestly… what were the chances of that ever happening? It ain't like me to miss something, and never if it's important._

…_I should've been with him. I shouldn't have let him down…_

_When we took off from that place… that cold place, I told him to go, take Cream and Amy… and take care of himself; take care of them. Then what happened? He ended up in hospital, Cream ended up in a coma, and Amy… I don't know whether she's the lucky one or not…_

_But if there's one thing I know this time…_

_I'm not going to be late._

_This time… I'm not going to fail._

_This time… I'm promising the little guy…_

_I WILL fix this, even if it's the death of me._

***~S~***

_**Whoosh**__!_

That was all he was to the patrolling robotic soldiers: a blur.

Alarms whirred, panicking robot voices filled the area, and frantic movements were made as they ran around in terror, firing their weapons at anything that moved.

…Yeah, that didn't end well for them.

Bullets fired at those trademark, well-known shoes, but they missed each step as speed gradually increased. Even if they had crippled them, the priority one hedgehog wouldn't have stopped… not with his determination, anyway; he would've crawled if he had to.

He frowned as he surged forward, slipping to the side as lasers spouted from nowhere, (no doubt prototypes of some deathly weapon,) and search towers gave him the limelight. He cringed as the alarms increased in pitch, if only for a moment, and then leapt into the air over an incoming set of spikes, which jutted out of the floor.

_Still up to old tricks, I see…_

Landing on one knee, he stood once more, and noticed the dead end, no door in sight.

Finding an alternative, he began racing around the base as he tried to find an entry way whilst trying not to get blasted to pieces in the process.

As soon as he'd done at least two laps around the base, a batch of orange-coloured Egg Pawns lied in wait for him, their swords and guns pointing and aiming for his very chest.

…

Swords and guns.

Either these guys were idiots, or they really thought they could take down Sonic with some metal and a buncha' lasers and bullets.

Knowing he'd easily dealt with these before, he scoffed mentally, before speeding up, ignoring their sudden robotic wails for mercy and cartoon sweat-drops as they realized they were doomed from the start.

_**Whoosh**__!_

He rushed through the lot of them, making them spin around in circles and totter before he turned heel and jumped, curling into a spiky ball and launching multiple homing attacks on the lot of them. They all crumbled beneath his might, despite the ammo their weapons had.

By the time he'd finished, nothing stood in his way, nor did anything dare to be behind him.

**CREAK…!**

His ears twitched as he stood over the wreckage he had caused, and he saw a wall lift, revealing it to actually be the door.

…_Eggman… Aren't you smart enough to know __**NOT**__ to let your enemies in even if they've beaten all your toys? Ugh… mad scientist logic. _

Shaking his head, he braced himself to run once more, until a tremor gave way.

"Whoa…!"

The ground shook, and the small hedgehog wobbled on one foot until he regained himself.

**STOMP…**

He looked to the door again, seeing some sort of silhouette moments away from it.

…**STOMP…**

A tall shadow loomed over him.

…**STOMP…**

He met its gaze: gleaming red eyes.

…**STOMP!**

His own pupils dilated at the size of it.

_HOLY—!_

The giant, humanoid being towered over him, and it was then and there that the hedgehog realized just how tall the door was.

The thing was about forty feet tall… no… maybe that was exaggeration, but it truly looked like a sky scraper. Its steel-blue coat shone under the moonlight, showing the prime of its defense. Its menacing crimson eyes seemed to watch the rodent with hostility, and its big, groping hands twitched. Its feet were like boots, and their intention more-or-less appeared to be to squash the little opponent from existence. And, of course, the big emblem that was well known by most Sonic the Hedgehog fans was imprinted on its chest, clear as the light of day.

…_So, __**this **__was why he opened the door…_

Sonic gulped slightly, and then took a step backward, clenching a fist and gritting his teeth.

**BZZZTTT!**

He shot to the side as a laser seared through the floor of his previous location, and the robot's hand suddenly raised, then jetted forwards towards the new location of the enemy without hesitation.

**STOMP!**

"WHOA!"

He leapt to the left, soon witnessing a fist imprint in the ground next to him, which was quickly covered with a fresh layer of snowflakes.

"Lay off the hostility! Man… This isn't how you treat all your visitors, is it?" the hedgehog asked, folding his arms and pouting playfully. "By the looks of things, I'd say you don't like me."

Giving a series of robotic noises that were unintelligible to Mobian and man alike, the mechanical creature lifted its leg. And, as soon as it lifted its foot, it gave entrance to the building, no longer blocking the exit as it had done before.

Sonic smirked, seeing his chance.

"I'd love to stay and play, big guy…"

A cloak of blue rushed under its foot, and into the base itself, leaving the robot alone outside, with nothing left of the hero but a trail of fire.

"…But I gotta' go!"

The complex stretched out before him, as he dashed to and thro throughout the many passages of the base, trying to figure out where the big boss lied in wait. The trails of flames behind him were doused out by sprinklers in moments, as he zoomed through a tunnel.

…_Damn sprinklers._

He grimaced; knowing full well that him speeding through the many tunnels meant he'd have permanent wet death constantly following him everywhere. Well, not death… but this is Sonic we're talking about; …he's a little melodramatic about water…

_HEY!_

Anyway…

Abruptly, walls attempted to clamp on the hedgehog as he ran, one of them barely catching the back of his foot as he accelerated.

Despite the stern, deadly-serious frown on his muzzle, he rolled his eyes in a deadpan manner.

_So NOW he decides on security…_

Of course, any doors that attempted to trap Sonic were left in the dust… so he guessed the mad scientist was probably stewing in his seat somewhere, as usual.

Reaching a cross-section, he halted as a door at last appeared before him, a sign broadening its features.

'MAIN CONTROL ROOM,

NO FOILING OF EVIL SCHEMES

**OR** HEDGEHOGS ALLOWED.

…

On second thoughts…

…Except on, 'Murder-Your-Enemy,' day…'

Rolling his eyes, he set a hand on the door knob.

_Rules are an exception for me, Doc._

The door was pushed open, and the hedgehog took a step forward, clenching his fist as he scowled at the noticeable chair ahead.

"Eggman…" his voice echoed with a sinister yet threatening tone.

At once, he was behind a chair, which faced several security screens. As soon as he'd taken that far a step, the chair began to turn.

… _This so reminds me of a James Bond movie._

"S-S-Sonic…?!"

Said hedgehog's eyes widened at the being sat in the chair, "Orbot?!"

True as starlight in the sky, the red spherical robot was sat there, in the Doctor's chair, trying to seem as non-chalant as possible.

Sonic's brow furrowed severely. "What are you doing here? Where's Eggman?!"

"Ah, er… ahem… I'm… keeping an eye on the boss' base… as for the doctor himself, he's out…" The red creature seemed to give off a nervous vibe. "I don't know where!"

"I think you **do **know," Sonic snarled threateningly, his fist twitching.

Orbot raised his hands defensively, noticing the amount of unfriendliness the blue blur was withholding. "Now, now, Sonic! Don't take your anger out on whatever evil scheme the boss cooked up on me!"

Those red shoes took a step forward. "You got at least five seconds to tell me where he's at."

"Like I said, I don't know."

"You surrrree?"

The butler-like one smiled sheepishly. "Yes, I am… honestly, if my prime self is at stake, why would I gamble over it? I'd hate to be demoted to second in command because I received a battering and have Cubot sorting the place; he's hardly competent for the job."

"… Fine, then…" The hedgehog eyed him suspiciously. "But… does Eggman happen to be up to anything? Like… oh, I dunno… ruining a little fox's life?"

Orbot gave the shifty eyes movement. "Er… I apologize, dear enemy, but if I spoke of the boss' plans… well… urgh… let's just say I'd be a pile of scrap on the floor. That, I do not want; I have a maintenance check this week."

"Now hold on a second! If you know something, spit it out!"

"I regrettably can't do that. I would want to allow you to win quicker to avoid… humiliation. Yes, your victory normally has a one-hundred percent success rate, but not even Dr. Eggman would be beside a point such as that."

"Yeah… never quits, does he?"

"After endless humiliations including that of being foiled by a teenage hedgehog, an eight-year-old fox, and a porcupine—erm, echidna, I'm surprised he's still trying… Some things are lost, even in a madman."

"**ORBOT!"**

The two completely straightened at the voice, and Orbot once more turned his chair around.

"B-boss?"

"…Boss?" Sonic questioned, then noticeably narrowed his eyes.

_Eggman._

"**I'm heading back to base. My sandwich supply has reached critical levels!"**

"…S-sandwiches, sir?"

"**Yes, SANDWICHES, YOU STUPID BUCKETS OF BOLTS! What else? FRIED EGGS? COOKED ARMADILLOS? BLUE HEDGEHOGS?"**

"Er… ha, ha…" The robot rubbed the back of his head, eyeing the hedgehog behind him edgily.

"…**Did I ask you to laugh, Orbot?"**

"N-no, boss, but it would be prudent enough to say that the chances of that hedgehog winning this time are factually impossible. That hedgehog is definitely down and out this time."

"**Hmmm… Down and out, you say?"**

… _I don't like where these guys are going._

"Ah, ha, yes! Such a thing is most believable! As is a blue bird singing in one's nest!"

"…**Very well."**

_Hmm… I need to find out what they're up to…_

"Yo, Eggman!" Sonic greeted in a deadly tone, already shooting forward, leaning on the controls and towards the microphone. "How're you, ol' buddy?"

"… **Orbot, I highly suggest you should get on with it, already. Every second he insults my intellect…"**

"Aww, you ignoring me, Eggy? That's not very nice! Geez, maybe you don't have enough brains for manners."

"**MANNERS?! I am the smartest—URGH! GET ON WITH IT, YOU STUPID ROBOT!"**

Orbot slowly reached out a hand to a red button, and the blue hero watched him with demanding curiosity.

"Wait, what're you—?"

**THWACK!**

Before he could register what was going on, a hammer suddenly flew from the ceiling, slapping the hedgehog into the wall behind him. Groaning, he pulled himself up, glaring at the suddenly-antagonistic Orbot.

"That's… that's the cheapest shot at trying to kill me I've ever seen!" he shouted, taking a step forward with gritted teeth.

"Er… Boss? I think the weapon lacked with the, 'knocking-out,' part."

"… **Really? Blast it! I had to pick a hammer with sharp spikes and looks over a one with unbeatable power! …Ugh. No matter."**

"Your judge levels bring you down once more…"

"**Thank you, Captain Obvious."**

"What are you planning to do now, then?"

"**Erhem… In fact… I'm planning to—YOU GET THAT HEDGEHOG OR… OR I'LL TURN YOU INTO A PENCIL SHARPNER!"**

"A threat? Wow… How degrading…" Orbot muttered. "Is that the best decisive threat you could come up with?"

"**SHUT UP!"**

"Er… Not to interrupt, or anything… but I really got a time schedule," Sonic pointed out. "I got to be in another chapter soon... that, and there's seriously a certain someone who needs justice delivering in a not-suspicious cardboard box…"

"Oh, the hedgehog!" Orbot moved his attention to the blue blur. "About the cheap shot… I agree with you; the doctor's intention isn't to kill you, however."

"And why's that? I reckon wiping me off the face of his, 'Eggman Empire,' plan would be a blessin' for him."

A deadpanned frown formed on the robot's face. "I wouldn't know, would I?"

"You obviously do…" Sonic trailed, folding his arms. "If you're expecting me to go down, or leave, you got another thing coming, butty 'bot. I came here for a reason."

"…Butty 'bot?"

"Y'know, cos you've got like a butler sort of thing going on… you have to have made a few bacon butties… right?"

"Ah, I understand! …No, not really."

"Hm… that ruins the whole insult thing, then," Sonic mused, placing an index finger on his chin. "Look, Orbot, you let me talk with the big-time villain, and I'll give you a break."

"Oh, you will be allowed to speak with him, all right!" There was a random gesturing hand, and the red creature added with hint of dead excitement, "In captivity, of course."

As soon as he spoke those words, Sonic was alert, frantically looking about as to see where the weapon or whatever was going to come from.

The hedgehog was unsuspecting to the floor as another button was pressed; the ground slipped beneath him…

…Except he was in front of it, not ON it.

"Huh?" Sonic only had a moment to glance at it.

"…Oh, for the love of all things robotic and stereotypically-evil…!"

Obviously unamused, Orbot pressed another button, causing the hammer to once more swing forward.

"HEY, WHA—?!"

It hit the hedgehog before he could move, causing him to tumble into the black hole. His scream echoed for a few seconds, before the hatch shut completely, cutting his cries out from the rest of the world abruptly.

"Another pointless task done," he told himself, glancing at the microphone with disdain. _I bet my stash of troll flash-cards that Sonic will find a way out of it, regardless… _

"AH, 'EY! WE GOT ANY PEANUT BUTTER?"

The formal one jumped, and then turned to where the hole once was, seeing his yellow counterpart standing on the hatch with bread and a knife in hand. He stared at him for a moment, baffled.

"What…? What did ah miss?"

"Well, considering you weren't here at the time… I concluded the rest of our supposedly concrete yet fragile plan of capturing Sonic by discussing with the boss about sandwiches, and then resuming the plan as to hit the hedgehog with a hammer, therefore breaking the rules of animal abuse, and causing him to fall backwards and call a cheap shot; I couldn't agree more. I then began the long, complicated road of overcoming floor stupidity, where the floor hatch failed to open under Sonic himself, thus, I had to finish the latter with another hit from the cheap hammer. Of course, it was rather dull and there weren't any sparkly fireworks of sorts, so I doubt he'll be down there for long."

"… AH, OKAY THEN!" the cubic robot answered, walking away and obviously not bothered over the fact that they had Sonic in imprisonment... either that, or he didn't understand the long, winding explanation.

Orbot facepalmed.

***~S~***

**Hope you guys didn't mind these guys making an appearance. I just love the troll 'bots. X3 Not to mention, if you haven't guessed this already, this takes place after Sonic Colours, so they're BOUND to be somewhere, (Sonic Generations wasn't really canon, just fan-service, I think…).**

**You may have noticed more humor than drama… I guess it's cos I'm in a peppier mood today. ^^ Don't know why, though.**

**We'll be seeing more of Tails next chapter, and lemme' tell you… the lengths Knuckles goes through to help him… XD X'D XD Oh, I won't spoil it.**

**Thanks for the reviews, again! =)**


	6. The Good Life

_Simple, but easy._

_That's how they described it to me. Simple._

_But guess what? It ain't fitting for a lady of my regal bearings… I can't believe I'm wasting my spectacular talents on this place. Mind you, there's a few cuties to look at… they're so wretchedly adorable. Sad, in a way, with their tragic little accidents, but still cute… I pity them. So much I feel like going up towards them and giving the little dears a hug… but then, y'know. That really isn't in my job description…_

_It's really a shame this place is bringing down my reputation, if others are aware of who I am… Guess this is what undercover's all about._

_I don't necessarily understand why I'm posted here, of all places… if they're wishing to get information, why not ask their contacts, or whatever the humans have as means of communications?_

…_Eh._

_I aren't really hot and bothered about it… I mean, I'm getting paid. In more ways than one… and there's quite a few eye-openers around here… Sad eye-openers. *Sigh,* At least I don't have to do manual labor. Ugh… that wouldn't suit my dear self one bit._

_Saw a little kid come in the other day… I didn't recognize her of course… At first, anyway… Poor girl was in some sort of accident. Couldn't muster which one, though. It wasn't until I was told to register her in the hospital records that I found out who she was…_

_Cream. Y'know, that little cute kid of Vanilla's? _

…_Yeah, I don't wanna' go over the details. It's kind of too mean on her, not to mention patient confidentiality… That didn't stop the frantic gossip around here, though… Honestly, I'm new here, undercover, and I don't do that! …Much._

_Wasn't much of a surprise when I saw Pinky come in, too… but it's not like she noticed me. She was the lucky one, I think… All she got was a small plaster for her head… Third one's the charm, after all! But then… I haven't seen that little blue thing of Cream's about, either… Cheese, was it? …I wonder where the little thing went…_

_Hmm._

_Well, at least there's a chance they'll get out of this… I heard a certain foxy friend of theirs is a few away. Big Blue, apparently, too… he received some sort of treatment, but I can't gather what it was. And… then… there's that echidna… he wasn't involved, but…_

_Honestly, if he's about, he better not be after my __**gem **__of a pay check. And… if he's here… that means…_

_Ah, ha! He's left his little beauty of an emerald unattended! Now, all I'd have to do was go over to that little floating island of his—_

…_Dang. I have a job to do… and if I break my little promise with the Commander one bit, he's calling off the deal of my little shinnies… Rats._

_Ah, well. At least I'll be able to amuse myself here a little bit… possibly starting with that thick-headed dimwit… _

***~S~***

It was quiet on the ward, since accidents were kept to a certain minimum in Mobius.

Knuckles was easily thankful for that.

Purple eyes skimmed the corridor, as a gruff-looking creature pulled along a wash basket.

It seemed to be a caretaker, or nurse… he didn't study hospitals, so he didn't take the time to find out.

As the rouge and black mammal pulled it along, its gaze turned to the end of the corridor, seeing a faint light.

And a silhouette within it.

Narrowed eyes glanced at it, and curiously, blinked at it.

"Nobody should be about at this time…" claimed the creature, setting off down the path to investigate the strange occurrence, shoes pitter-pattering across the floor, and dumping the wash basket as a trivial matter. It wasn't an understatement to say that the employee was probing his nose where it didn't mostly belong.

The echidna poked his head around the corner once more after retreating at least once.

"Hey… HEY, YOU!"

Wide eyes caused the red one to cling to the corner wall with his oversized knuckles, and cursed when they made a dent.

He dared another look, and the armadillo-like creature was gone.

"Huh?" he scratched his head. "Wonder where he went…"

His gaze remained still for a moment, before it passed over the abandoned travel-wash-basket, allowing him to think for a moment as something pestered him.

Suddenly, a smug smirk flickered across his face.

"Knuckles, you _genius_."

***~S~***

"Knuckles, you _knucklehead_."

The fox folded his arms at the plan, not amused, it seemed.

Knuckles' smile faded.

"…What?"

"That thing's full of bed sheets!"

Queue a confused expression. "…So?"

"Patients' bed sheets!"

A moment of silence passed, and Knuckles glanced at the basket with inquisitive awe before suddenly realizing the problem.

"YUCK!" Knuckles abruptly jumped back, removing his hand from the top of the laundry pile. "Eugh. So THAT's why that guy was wearing gloves."

Tails' features deadpanned, and he slapped his forehead. "You ARE wearing gloves, Knuckles…"

A sweat drop. "Ha, ha… Yeah, I forget about that."

Seconds passed, and then Tails regarded the red one with mild interest. "So… you just took it from some guy?"

"Yeah…"

The kitsune looked hard at him.

"What? He wasn't using it!" the echidna pointed out, furrowing his brow.

"And who goes ballistic when the Master Emerald gets stolen?"

"… Are you seriously comparing the Master Emerald to this?"

"Ugh…"

"Besides, the guy was busy anyway."

"Knuckles…" The fox eyed him suspiciously. "What did you do?"

"Jeez, will you stop bloody accusing me? I'll give it back when we're finished with it!"

"Oh, Knuckles…" Shaking his head, Tails got rid of the thought, and pushed on. "What was he busy with?"

"Someone was up and about…"

Another worried stare.

"It wasn't me," the echidna breathed. "Someone else. And, word is, nobody's s'posed to be around at this time."

"Why're you still around, then? Why hasn't someone told you to leave?"

A shrug. "Beats me… maybe I'm just lucky. Now, about the plan…"

The kitsune frowned. "I am not sitting inside a pile of bed sheets that could possibly have sick on them… It's just… it's just… unhygienic!"

"Pfft, yeah. But I had my hand on it for a full minute, and nothing happened. Doesn't mean it's gonna' do anything to you."

"Knux, I could be in there for an hour. Ya' seen how deep it is?" Tails inquired, motioning to how tall the basket was.

True to belief, it was taller than the guardian himself.

Chuckles escaped the red 'un's tanned muzzle: nervous ones. "Aw, c'mon, buddy… It's not like you're gonna' get lost in there…" he paused. "Well… maybe… but, apart from that, how else are you going to get to Cream undetected?"

…

That quietness in the room dwelled for a few moments.

"I could just ask to visit—"

Knuckles' stern attitude amplified. "Do you seriously want to wait another day?" he asked, eager to see his plan burst into action; if it worked, then people could possibly have second thoughts about him and his, 'gullible,' mind-set… however that worked.

A sigh omitted from the forest creature's muzzle, as he breathed in, and then eventually gave in. "I guess you're right… What do I have to do?"

***~S~***

A nurse swept the corridors silently, only making the sound of harsh fibers striking the marble floor. Basically, her night shift was boring.

What she wouldn't give for a proper night out.

Her dress shoes shuffled awkwardly on the floor, as she cleaned the floors absentmindedly.

The spots highlighted along her fur were dark for a second, as a shadow passed, yet she didn't notice. Too busy moping about, it seemed.

Slowly, a hand reached out from the wall beside her, and inched towards her head, poised to grab…

…her hat.

The white material snaked back in-land, swiping the nurse's headwear along with it. And, after that, it reached for a coat rack, gripping a coat. Then, vanished. Vanished from sight.

The nurse blinked, and then shivered, sensing a cold wind brushing against her fur.

"Darn drafts…" she muttered.

Knowing how cold the ward actually was, she reached for her hanger, planning to grab her jacket, only to find nothing.

"Hm?" she glanced about. "Where did it go?"

***~S~***

The echidna boldly strolled down the corridor, a nurse hat sitting on his head, and a coat wrapping its way round him. Though he had a disguise, he still peeked about like a cautious cat that was obviously up to no good. And it was clear he wasn't comfortable with wearing the attire, either.

His head bobbed as he saw the sign:

'INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.'

The sign was clear, and with that in mind, he whispered to the laundry pile, "Tails, we're almost there…"

Now, a nearby, random doctor was quite baffled at this spectacle, but not at the fact that there was a living and breathing echidna in the hospital, but at the strange event which included the said person speaking with an inanimate object. The medical quirked a stray brow at this, noting that the woman seemed slightly on the manly side… but it only took him a moment to do a double take and figure out it was actually a guy. Either this was accidental, or a normal fashion…

The echidna's hat slipped slightly, and he corrected it.

The doctor blinked once more. 'Accidental…'

… Yep. The echidna was clearly nuts… And, despite the fact that it was the medical one's ward, frankly, it was none of his business. He didn't want to know.

Knux stealthily ran along the corridor, until he came to many other paths. On his right, was a reception, and he walked over t it, dragging the cart along, and putting a clenched hand on the desk.

The receptionist looked up with shadowed features: she wasn't exactly see-able, but her hands were visible. Her blue eyes glistened in a bored manner. "Yes, miss?" she asked, flipping through a random magazine.

"Er, yeah…" Knuckles started in a high-pitched voice, forgetting how awkward it was trying to discuss topics with women. "I… I need to see cCream."

"Last name?" she questioned.

Knuckles rubbed his head.

"…Cream?"

"Cream, Cream?" He couldn't see her face, but he could tell she was skeptical.

"No, Cream," he said once again, missing the concept of actually knowing her last name.

"M'am… could you repeat that?"

"CREAM!" he shouted, and his manly voice returned.

Her azure orbs shot to his, and she disbelievingly blinked at the nurse hat, and then at the echidna himself. "Ahem? Sir?" A hint of amusement suddenly slipped into her voice, "You ARE aware there's a nurse hat on your head?"

"Just… please," he pleaded, not intending to answer her question. "I need to see Cream. It's…"

"It's, what?" She asked. "The six-year-old's been the talk of this little ward all day; coma, sadly… but WHY do you need to see her, of all people, at this time?"

He glared at her, maintaining his stress levels… which normally led to anger. "It's… it's important. Please."

"I apologize, sir," she said, no longer flicking her white gloves over the magazine pages. "Visiting times are during the day…"

His dreadlocks swished angrily. "For God' sakes! Just let me see her! It's not for me, it's for—!"

The basket made a noise, silencing him.

Suspiciously the female stared at the basket, then at the nervously frowning echidna. Her head drooped for a moment, and her hands tented on the desk. Her indirect gaze shifted from his twitching fits to his deep, purple eyes. They themselves were twitching.

She pursed her lips for a minor amount of time, and then smiled. "Ward 6B."

His paled face dwelled for a moment, and then it lit up like a set of Christmas lights, showing his surprise and gratitude. "T-thanks!"

The echidna's footsteps sounded down the corridor, but another sentence fell into his hearing.

"Oh, and, sir?" came her familiar voice, that seemed to hinder a sly tone.

He stopped in his tracks, and then turned to look back at the feminine silhouette.

"Yeah?"

She was obviously grinning with humor. "You can take the hat off now."

"Heh, heh…" Chuckling nervously, he slowly moved his hands to his head, taking the hat off, going into reverse mode, and then chucking it too her. "Er… thanks."

"No problem… And, if somebody stops you…" she paused, and then discreetly smirked. "…Say, 'grapes,'…" she winked.

"Grapes?" he questioned to himself, dragging the cart along behind him, which revealed two, numb, yellow tails.

The receptionist saw this, but paid no mind, as she smiled seductively, going back to her magazine. "'Luck, Knuckie~."

***~S~***

**If I'm correct, there's only about two OCs in this chapter, (the nurse, and the doctor,)… and trust me, they're pretty minor. The other two… you should be able to guess who they are. If you can't… well, it'll reveal itself later.**

**Hey, look, actual story progression! Ha, ha… Well, this is kind of further than I've ever got with a story… with an actual, serious plot. I know it seems light in suffering—er, angsty stuff right now, but that will gradually change, 'bout next chapter, I think. =) Hope you're all enjoying it.**

**Again, merci* for the reviews. ^^**

***=French for thank you. (:**


End file.
